strayed from disney

[ShannonR]

Hi there fellow DISers! Long time, no talk!

Last week, the hubby and I decided to take a cruise just the two of us with NO KIDS......can you believe it? We also decided that we would try one of the "other" cruise lines and can I just say.....why oh why did we ever stray from a good thing? We took a 7 day western on the Norwegian Epic and all it did was make us realize just how perfect Disney really is....in every way!

I won't say we didn't have a good thing, because it simply wouldn't be true....we had a wonderful time, relaxed and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. 80's and constant sunshine for 7 days? To these Coloradites....it was pure heaven!

On the down side, we found ourselves constantly comparing each and every little part of the cruise to Disney and what's worse......wishing we were ON Disney, with or without the kids! There simply isn't anything, anyone, or anywhere that can ever measure up to Disney....ever!

Would we do it again? Hard to say....we may try Royal Caribbean next, but as a family we will definitely be sticking to the real deal in the world of vacations.....DISNEY YOU RULE!!

 

[brewcrew]

This was just like us. We went on RC one year (had reward cc points). I remember my husband and I were working out in the gym when we saw a ship on the horizon. Then we saw it was a Disney ship. We just kept talking about how difficult could it be to possibly swim to that Disney ship from where we were...

We loved our RC cruise but we, like you, have nothing but awesome experiences on Disney. Looking forward to next Summer. Cruising on Disney to Alaska.

 

[xlxo]

On the down side, we found ourselves constantly comparing each and every little part of the cruise to Disney and what's worse......wishing we were ON Disney, with or without the kids! There simply isn't anything, anyone, or anywhere that can ever measure up to Disney....ever!

Would we do it again? Hard to say....we may try Royal Caribbean next, but as a family we will definitely be sticking to the real deal in the world of vacations.....DISNEY YOU RULE!!

You should try Holland America and/or Princess for future cruises.

 

[seashellmama]

We are taking a 4night California coastal Princess cruise at the end of January, with the kids (10 and 13. They were 8 and 11 (almost 9&12) for our 4night Dream cruise- I'm a little worried that they will be bored, but... meh. They'll bring books/Kindles/2DS and learn to love shuffleboard with 70 year olds like the rest of us, if it comes to that, right? 13yo is excited to set foot in a foreign city (Ensenada) since she chose to stay on board in Nassau last year.

Just really couldn't pass up a great price on a local escape! If Disney did micro-cruises out of Southern California and discounted them heavily we'd be all over that, too.

 

[bumbershoot]

On the down side, we found ourselves constantly comparing each and every little part of the cruise to Disney and what's worse......wishing we were ON Disney, with or without the kids! There simply isn't anything, anyone, or anywhere that can ever measure up to Disney....ever!

I'm sorry you didn't have as good a time as you could have.

It's good to know what's right for you. Just remember that it's true for you that nothing can compare; for me, there's only one thing bumping DCL up above the other line we've tried (RCCL) and it's a relatively tiny issue that can be worked around with proper cabin choice and ship choice. For us, DCL isn't the best.

We stood on Freedom of the Seas last January waving over at the Dream and being nothing but perfectly happy and content to be just where we were. And when we were on the Dream this October (immediately after a different Royal cruise) we wished we could have our Freedom cruise again.

So glad there are choices!

 

[pillow]

I'm sorry you didn't have as good a time as you could have.

It's good to know what's right for you. Just remember that it's true for you that nothing can compare; for me, there's only one thing bumping DCL up above the other line we've tried (RCCL) and it's a relatively tiny issue that can be worked around with proper cabin choice and ship choice. For us, DCL isn't the best.

We stood on Freedom of the Seas last January waving over at the Dream and being nothing but perfectly happy and content to be just where we were. And when we were on the Dream this October (immediately after a different Royal cruise) we wished we could have our Freedom cruise again.

So glad there are choices!

Curious about this. Tell me more. What did you like about the Freedom? I think my teenagers might enjoy that ship.

Jodie

 

[Summerl30]

Our fav is definitely royal, but it's hard not to compare. Dh actually wasn't a fan of disney until he saw the kids faces and all the ways we thought that disney didn't measure up, didn't matter so much. We were actually hoping to take the epic with the kids next summer in Europe so I'm anxious to hear reviews. The kids have only ever been on disney.

 

[ptcbass]

I'm sorry you didn't have as good a time as you could have.

It's good to know what's right for you. Just remember that it's true for you that nothing can compare; for me, there's only one thing bumping DCL up above the other line we've tried (RCCL) and it's a relatively tiny issue that can be worked around with proper cabin choice and ship choice. For us, DCL isn't the best.

We stood on Freedom of the Seas last January waving over at the Dream and being nothing but perfectly happy and content to be just where we were. And when we were on the Dream this October (immediately after a different Royal cruise) we wished we could have our Freedom cruise again.

So glad there are choices!

Good you hear you liked the Freedom. Thanks for sharing. We might try it in 2016. I am always scared I will spend the cruise comparing it to DCL and be disappointed.

 

[aprincessatlast]

I often wondered if I could DCL without the kids. I think the guilt would override my enjoyment. To us DCL is fantastic but really is geared towards families. I would see all the characters and think of the kids. lol

The ironic part is actually going on DCL without kids is the few times it would actually be affordable.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

We have done a couple cruises without our son (with or without him), we have never been disappointed in DCL and in fact loved our DCL cruises so much; we just can't see us doing a different cruise line. I can see us comparing everything to our previous cruises with the Mouse.

Never say never, but I don't see us doing another cruise line in the near future.

 

[jrabbit]

I've sailed on NCL once - and that was their chance and they totally blew it.

From my experience if I was planning on sailing on a different cruise line I would

• Book a much "better" room than I do on DCL - just to get the size if nothing else
• Plan / Budget for eating dinners at their up charge restaurants
• Plan on eating lunches on shore during port days (the food on our NCL cruise was horrible)
• Bring lots of books (Kindle/Nook), other personal electronic devices and games to play to fill the sea days ... if only I could find a comfortable place to sit on the ship (nothing comfortable on the Jade)
• Bring my tee shirts that say "I would rather be Cruising On Disney Right Now!!"

after all of those items, their probably is not a price difference between DCL and the other cruise lines.

 

[Melissa S]

DH wants to try another cruise line. But I am scared to spend all that money for an experiment. If we do go on another line I would start with one that is port intensive. On our Southern we spent so much time off the ship we didn't get to enjoy the Disney.

 

[VbChristy]

Go on Celebrity. They are amazing. Great food, great service. Very relaxing. As soon as my son is old enough we will be back on Celebrity.

 

[johnlatte]

I'm sorry you didn't have as good a time as you could have.

It's good to know what's right for you. Just remember that it's true for you that nothing can compare; for me, there's only one thing bumping DCL up above the other line we've tried (RCCL) and it's a relatively tiny issue that can be worked around with proper cabin choice and ship choice. For us, DCL isn't the best.

We stood on Freedom of the Seas last January waving over at the Dream and being nothing but perfectly happy and content to be just where we were. And when we were on the Dream this October (immediately after a different Royal cruise) we wished we could have our Freedom cruise again.

So glad there are choices!

We've sailed RCCL & NCL as well as DCL. I don't particularly have a favorite. All have their good points as well as things that they could do better. I do like the more laid back atmosphere of NCL, especially with dining. I like having more upscale food choices than what DCL offers. DCL's service and mid tier cabins are slightly better, but NCL's suites are better. Concierge definitely goes to DCL. I like being able to go play a few hands of blackjack or a spin of roulette so RCCL & NCL gets points there. In general we like cruising as a leisure activity. My kids don't have a preference either as long as we make interesting stops and have a good time. If fact my youngest DD, had more fun with NCL's F&B director than she had with any DCL CM. Our first cruise was a short land and sea on DCL, but our next one was on NCL. We didn't really compare the two, instead we took the best things that each ship offered and enjoyed them. Once you start comparing, I think you limit yourself to having the best time. Each cruise and vacation is only as good as you want it to be. Comparing one to another during the process, certainly can make your hard earned time away difficult to enjoy.